Unit 1 Work:

The Chesapeake Region


Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay


The Chesapeake bay is known as America's largest estuary. It's surrounded by both Maryland and Virginia. The origin of it's name comes from the word Chesepiooc, which is an Algonquian (Native American) word the means a village "at a big river". It was extremely important to the early English settlers in Virginia because it was the region where English settlers first tried to settle and it was there that on their way back to England they were met by Lord De La Warr and his ship full of supplies for the colony. The settlers were eventually persuaded to turn around and head back to America. From then on things turned around and the colony of Jamestown was set on becoming a profitable place.

Most importantly it was where a major of tobacco was grown, a major cash crop in those times. That characteristic also allowed the region to be a place bustling with economic activity, and later on a center of political activity.






Anne Hutchinson & The Puritans


Hutchinson was an intelligent and lively woman from a Boston family, who caused quite a fuss in her day because she challenged women's roles in Puritan societies. Not only did she speak out about their society's religious figures who she believed were unfit for their roles and titles, but she preached (p.45), and became an influential religious and political individual for many fellow settlers. The group with the most grievances against her were the Puritans, a Christian group known for trying to be as "pure" as they could be. At the time of course they believed strongly in gender roles, and to them Anne Hutchinson was going against everything they thought a woman should do.


Different Types of Colonies in America


1. Royal - belonging to the king (Charles II - James II)
2. Proprietary - ruled by a sovereign and only his future descendants
3. Chartered Companies - a privately owned company/enterprise which obtained a charter from their monarch to settle in America; It also gave only that company the opportunity to trade within that region
4. Self-governing - ruled by colonists, most of whom came from England


Glog for C2




Chapter 3 Preview


In Chapter 3 the population of New England obviously begins to grow and as time goes on the colonists seem to be more at home in America. One of the indications of these sentiments is the construction of colleges such as Harvard and Yale. Also, settlers from many different nations besides England begin to migrate to America (Germans, Scottish, Irish, etc)

Realities of Indentured Servitude - Men and women would agree to serve masters for a certain period of time (4-5 years) and while there they'd could recieve a free passage to America, food, and shelter. Yet as soon as they left these masters they'd be thrown out into the world, both unprepared and unequipped to start earning their own wages.
- For some reason it was very appealing to colonial employers. At one point colonial families were so used to it that they'd have no problem taking off to an area with more opportunites every few years.


Birth and Death - As more women came to the colonies, birth rates increased, and there was a more balanced male to female ratio

New England - New England was a very male-dominated place and many religious beliefs enforced that.



Chapter 3


2-Column Notes - in binder

Key Terms:


Where Historians Disagree: The Origins of Slavery

Questions 1 + 2



Birth and Death Rate Factors:

  • Advancements in medicine
  • Sufficient amounts of food
  • Epidemics/diseases
  • Civility/Violence
  • Sanitary conditions
  • Suicide rates
  • Natural disasters
  • Technology
  • Economic struggles
  • Balance of sex ratio
  • Social/religious influences or struggles
  • Fertility rate
  • Urbanization
  • Typical age of marriage
  • Infant Mortality Rate
  • Female literacy levels
  • Government laws/policies
  • Welfare related policies
  • Abortion rates/legality
  • Child gender
  • Availability of contraception

Social Mobility


Social mobility is basically the opportunity to move up and down the social ladder as well as to gain more prosperity economically. In America, there was a lot of land and a small population but that condition didn't mark the country's economy and class system like the way it did in England (of which had a large population and not as much land). There was really a greater opportunity in America to be successful in various ways, like obtaining land and having control over a good and stable work force, which was ultimately their goal.

I think social mobility can apply to today's world but I don't think it's as possible as it was back then. Today's world requires a lot from an individual to move up the ladder (education, time, etc) and unfortunately it's very easy to move down the ladder.

PiratePad Group Discussion Link - Ch. 3 Qs 3-6


Here's a link to the PiratePad discussion we had on these questions.


Chapter 4


2-Column Notes:

Key Terms:

Questions 1-3



"One Mile To Bushy Run Station" Artist: Robert Griffing
"One Mile To Bushy Run Station" Artist: Robert Griffing



Thre French and Indian War was a major conflict between Britain and France, with different native American nations helping out both sides. For the most part the colonists had to fight on their own, but towards the end of the war there were a fair amount of British troops stationed in the colonies. In the end, the war had profound consequences. Not only did it increase England's territory in North America but it took away all of France's land and even managed to get Britain into more debt. It also caused the British to develop a sense of resentment against the colonists, and vice versa.


Chapter 5


2-Column Notes:

Key Terms:



Where Historians Disagree: The Origins of the American Revolution

Questions: 1-3

Questions: 4-6



Difference between Independence and a Revolution:
War for Independence – keeping the same types of political systems, but being able to control it themselves
Revolutions – having the freedom to change those systems


Declaration of Independence: Wordle


Wordle: Declaration of Independence

The purpose of any Wordle is to give people a visual representation of the most prominent words in a text. This Wordle of the Declaration of Independence shows you not only who it was written by and when it was ratified but also that the most prominent words were law, government, people, states, and powers. This document clearly gives you an accurate description of what the colonists believed were most important. Of course the people in the states were the reason why they wrote this document, and is was also to address the issue of what they believed was Britain's corrupt use of power. They definitely put an emphasis on the powers of the government, including the laws Parliament had issued. The laws themselves weren't so much the problem as the message that it sent the colonies: that the British government could control them ultimately do whatever they wanted with the colonies.
Iris:
"People are the key to the nation's success."

Assumptions of Republicanism - p.149


  • active citizens; engaged in the political process (civic virtue)
  • that their population was equal (economically, politically, socially)


- The Americans assumed that all the members of their society would be active participants in it,and in my opinion that it was a positive assumption but clearly not accurate or realistic. Not everyone in their communities wanted to be (or could be) active in political processes (such as voting, being actual Congress members,or government officials). Their other foolish assumption was that
the individuals in the states were equal
, and that was also not a good assumption to make because it was obvious that not all Americans were independent property owners/holders. In the U.S. there was a stable labor force in which white members of society ( really only white men) enjoyed privileges of citizenship while all the other groups and minorities (African Americans, Native Americans, women) had little to no rights/privileges.


  • The founding fathers never intended for everyone to be equal, only for everyone to have an equal opportunity to be successful.
  • They knew some people would have the ability to lead, some would not, therefore they came up with a system through which we vote for people who later make decisions for us.

Centralization/Federal/National Powers vs. Decentralization/State government Powers

Centralized à brought under the control of a central authority, person or group (ex. dictator, king)Decentralized àhaving power or function dispersed from a central to local authorities (school policies)Federalism à the idea of a federal organization of more or less self-governing units
Specific powers:Federal Government:- Establish post offices- Declare war against other countries- Handle foreign affairs/ establish treaties- Print money- Regulate trade- Establish laws + policies that help carry out these powers- Establish military + navy- Taxes (federal, state, city)State Governments: - Impose taxes on the people of their specific areas- Hold local elections - Ratify amendments to the Constitution - May use any powers not specifically given to the National government- setting age restrictions for different things

DBQ Workshop